


Call It Quits

by Angelic_Castiel74



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 15:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17470091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelic_Castiel74/pseuds/Angelic_Castiel74
Summary: Batman and the Joker are old and Joker doesn't want to keep up the feud between him and Batman.





	Call It Quits

The day the Joker stopped laughing was the day when everything fell apart. The day the Joker stopped laughing was the day when Gotham was peaceful again. The day the Joker stopped laughing was the day when Batman retired.

The streets were silent, save for heavy breathing and the soft patter of rain. It was the fight of the century, people were saying. At long last, Batman held the Joker in his clutches with nowhere to run. People from all around Gotham watched as Batman and Joker fought, their smiles growing whenever Batman seemed to make the right choice.

“I remember when he was just starting out. Everyone was talking about him, The Batman,” one person would whisper to their grandchild.

“When Joker was first introduced to Gotham, we thought, ‘oh no, we’re all going to die.’,” another told their child.

Batman was looking at Joker almost sadly. He was holding Joker by his shirt, Joker being an inch or two off the ground. Police surrounded the two, silent with anticipation. Joker was looking at Batman with a small, forced smile dancing on his lips. 

“I don’t want to fight anymore, Batman,” Joker said, loud enough for only Batman to hear.

“You’re giving up?” Batman asked in a surprised murmur. Joker shrugged, his smile falling.

“There’s nothing left to fight for. We’re both in our eighties. If we keep this up any longer, we’d both be dead, and frankly, I want to live a while longer,” Joker said.

Batman was silent for a moment. The words, ‘I don’t want to fight anymore’ swam through his head. This had to be a joke, right? The Joker didn’t simply just  _ give up _ . But, as Batman looked at him, he knew Joker was being serious. 

“How do I know you won’t just escape when I turn you in? Or if all of this is just a distraction so Harley Quinn can help you out?” Batman said. Joker averted his gaze and let out a sigh.

“Harley died a few years ago, Bats. It was cancer,” Joker said. He faced his attention back to Batman. “And as for the escaping thing, I just don’t have the energy. I hate to admit it, but I’m weak. I’m old. Surely, you’ve noticed how your age was affecting you too, hmm? I’ve noticed. We’ve all noticed. So why don’t we just call it quits?” His voice almost sounded desperate.

Batman stared at him before releasing him. As soon as Joker’s feet hit the ground, five officers rushed towards the two and handcuffed Joker. If commissioner Gordon were still alive, he’d pat Batman on the shoulder and tell him how good of a job he did. But he wasn’t alive, so, Batman watched in silence as Joker was forced into the police car. Joker wasn’t laughing. 

When Batman walked through the empty streets, he had one hand on his mask. He was contemplating the pros and cons before reaching the alleyway where everything started. The alleyway where Batman was created. He took off the mask and gently laid it on the damp floor. He was no longer Batman. The city didn’t need a Batman, anyway. All the other major criminals were either dead or locked up for good. He was just Bruce, now. 


End file.
